The 12 Days of Risk-mas
On the 1st day of Risk-Mas: don’t take the bait and get PHISHED
- Your financial institution will never send you an email asking you to verify personal information
- If you are unsure if the email is legitimate, call the organization and confirm the legitimacy of the email
On the 2nd day of Risk-mas: prepare to defend against MALWARE
- Also known as spyware
- Only download and install industry recognized antivirus software. Research the solution before installing on your devices
On the 3rd day of Risk-mas: outwit the IMPOSTER SCAMMER
- Hang up immediately if you get a call from someone claiming to be from computer tech support or a government agency asking for personal information.
On the 4th day of Risk-mas: safeguard your savings from ACCOUNT FRAUD
- Monitor your accounts using digital banking in addition to paper statements, notify Cedar Point FCU immediately if you suspect fraud.
- Download and install the CPFCU Card Control app on your mobile devices to monitor your CPFCU debit/credit card activity
- For more information about card control, please visit https://www.cpfcu.com/Debit-Cards#CardControl
On the 5th day of Risk-mas: safeguard from IDENTITY THEFT
- Place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the 3 major bureaus
- Regularly change your passwords to online websites and applications. Create passwords that are hard to guess, but easy to remember
On the 6th day of Risk-mas: don’t cash that FAKE CHECK
- Fake check schemes include foreign lottery, check overpayment, secret shopper, or investment fraud schemes.
- Throw away or ignore any offer that asks you to pay for a prize or gift, and know that foreign lotteries through the mail or telephone are illegal.
On the 7th day of Risk-mas: think about your PERSONAL SAFETY
- Avoid using ATMs after dark
- Travel with two or more people when shopping
- Keep your hands free and be aware of your surroundings
- Do not post your travel plans on social media. This notifies the public that your house could potentially be vacant for a specified period of time
On the 8th day of Risk-mas: avoid being the next victim of ONLINE FRAUD
- Use multi-factor Authentication - this proves that you are logging into your accoumts and no one else
- Password protection - don’t share your password, use a different password for different accounts, you may also want to consider a reputable password management service
- Shop at websites you're familiar with. Reduce creating accounts at multiple sites you do not intend on shopping at more than once.
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi to access sensitive information online.
On the 9th day of Risk-mas: PROTECT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION by putting your tools into action
- Credit freeze: doesn’t affect your credit and can be placed or lifted (thawed) for review online or by phone.
- Fraud Alert: stays on your credit report for a year. You give verification and approval for any attempted new lines of credit
- Use CPFCU Card Control to monitor your CPFCU credit/debit card activity. Freeze your cards on demand if you notice a
- suspicious transaction. Call the CPFCU Fraud Detection Hot Line if you suspect fraudulent activity
- For fraudulent credit card activity call 877-968-2528
- For fradulent debit card activity call 800-472-3272
On the 10th day of Risk-mas: use your internal security intellect to stop NEW TECH FRAUD
- Think twice before responding to “urgent” text messages
- Close unexpected pop-up windows on web sites
- Only install programs that you know are from legitimate web sites
- Be suspicious of unsolicited offers to download games, programs, and other apps
- Remove or uninstall apps that you are no longer using. Out of date apps are vulnerable to network attacks that could compromise your device
On the 11th day of Risk-mas: don’t accept the offer of being a MONEY MULE
- Never agree to move money for someone who contacts you promising a relationship, job, or prize.
- Often, the money is stolen, and they will propose empty promise. The scammer would ask you to wire money, use P2P methods, or use giftcards
On the 12th day of Risk-mas: unwrap your RESOURCES for a safe holiday season and new year to come
- Visit www.cpfcu.com, under LEARN go to security resources and browse the variety of security tools
- Federal Trade Commission www. www.ftc.gov 1877-382-4357
- Credit Bureau Information
- Equifax- 1-800-685-1111
- Experian- 1-888-397-3742
- Transunion- 1-888-909-8872
- Contact our team
- Aaron T. Chase 301-863-7071 x8452
- Amanda Grah 301-863-7071 x8469
- Or Cedar Point FCU 301-863-7071